宁夏草原蝗虫多样性及其对环境因子的响应

为明确宁夏四类主要草原的蝗虫物种组成、多样性和对天敌、植被、土壤及其气候等生物和非生物因子的响应,2019-2020年在宁夏温性草甸草原、温性草原、温性荒漠草原和温性草原化荒漠四类草原对蝗虫及天敌物种进行了调查采集,通过物种数、个体数、多样性指数、优势度指数、丰富度指数及均匀性指数分析蝗虫、天敌和昆虫的多样性,并就草原蝗虫优势种和多样性对天敌、植被、土壤及气候等生物和非生物因子的响应进行分析。结果表明,共采集鉴定草原蝗虫和天敌个体数分别有743头和3592头,物种数分别有27种和24种;温性草原上发生的蝗虫和天敌物种和数量均最多,蝗虫和天敌的物种分别为23种和21种,数量分别为432头和1682头;温性草原化荒漠上发生的蝗虫和天敌物种和数量均最少,蝗虫和天敌的物种分别为8种和7种,数量分别为34头和132头。蝗虫优势种有白纹雏蝗Chorthippus albonemus、短星翅蝗Calliptamus abbreviatus和亚洲小车蝗Oedaleus asiaticus三种,天敌优势种有直角通缘步甲Pterostichus gebleri、麻步甲Carabus brandti和短翅伪葬步甲Pseudotaphoxenus brevipennis三种。温性草原无论是在草原蝗虫群落中,还是整个昆虫和天敌群落中,其丰富度指数均显著高于其他三类草原;草原蝗虫多样性指数和丰富度指数与天敌多样性指数和丰富度指数间均存在极显著正相关关系,与天敌优势度指数间存在极显著负相关关系;短星翅蝗和亚洲小车蝗发生均与天敌直角通缘步甲呈显著正相关关系,白纹雏蝗与禾本科植被盖度、高度、生物量,菊科植被盖度、生物量、频度、高度、土壤饱和持水量、毛管持水量、田间持水量、毛管孔隙度、总孔隙度、有机质、碱解氮、海拔和降水量间均呈显著正相关关系,与土壤容重、pH、平均气温和最高气温间均呈极显著负相关关系。     

Effects of long-term warming on the aboveground biomass and species diversity in an alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau of China

Ecosystems in high-altitude regions are more sensitive and respond more rapidly than other ecosystems to global climate warming.The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP)of China is an ecologically fragile zone that is sensitive to global climate warming.It is of great importance to study the changes in aboveground biomass and species diversity of alpine meadows on the QTP under predicted future climate warming.In this study,we selected an alpine meadow on the QTP as the study object and used infrared radiators as the warming device for a simulation experiment over eight years(2011-2018).We then analyzed the dynamic changes in aboveground biomass and species diversity of the alpine meadow at different time scales,including an early stage of warming(2011-2013)and a late stage of warming(2016-2018),in order to explore the response of alpine meadows to short-term(three years)and long-term warming(eight years).The results showed that the short-term warming increased air temperature by 0.31℃and decreased relative humidity by 2.54%,resulting in the air being warmer and drier.The long-term warming increased air temperature and relative humidity by 0.19℃and 1.47%,respectively,and the air tended to be warmer and wetter.The short-term warming increased soil temperature by 2.44℃and decreased soil moisture by 12.47%,whereas the long-term warming increased soil temperature by 1.76℃and decreased soil moisture by 9.90%.This caused the shallow soil layer to become warmer and drier under both short-term and long-term warming.Furthermore,the degree of soil drought was alleviated with increased warming duration.Under the long-term warming,the importance value and aboveground biomass of plants in different families changed.The importance values of grasses and sedges decreased by 47.56%and 3.67%,respectively,while the importance value of weeds increased by 1.37%.Aboveground biomass of grasses decreased by 36.55%,while those of sedges and weeds increased by 8.09%and 15.24%,respectively.The increase in temperature had a non-significant effect on species diversity.The species diversity indices increased at the early stage of warming and decreased at the late stage of warming,but none of them reached significant levels(P>0.05).Species diversity had no significant correlation with soil temperature and soil moisture under both short-term and long-term warming.Soil temperature and aboveground biomass were positively correlated in the control plots(P=0.014),but negatively correlated under the long-term warming(P=0.013).Therefore,eight years of warming aggravated drought in the shallow soil layer,which is beneficial for the growth of weeds but not for the growth of grasses.Warming changed the structure of alpine meadow communities and had a certain impact on the community species diversity.Our studies have great significance for the protection and effective utilization of alpine vegetation,as well as for the prevention of grassland degradation or desertification in high-altitude regions.     

Long-term effects of mowing on plasticity and allometry of Leymus chinensis in a temperate semi-arid grassland,China

Mowing is an important land management practice for natural semi-arid regions.A growing body of empirical evidence shows that different mowing regimes affect the functioning of grassland ecosystems.However,the responses of plant functional traits to long-term mowing and their allometric scaling under long-term mowing are poorly understood.For a better understanding of the effects of mowing on grassland ecosystems,we analyzed the allometric traits of leaves and stems of Leymus chinensis(Trin.) Tzvel.,a dominant grass species in eastern Eurasian temperate grassland,at different mowing intensities(no clipping,clipping once every two years,once a year and twice a year).Experiments were conducted on plots established over a decade ago in a typical steppe of Xilinhot,Inner Mongolia,China.Results showed that most of the functional traits of L.chinensis decreased with the increased mowing intensity.The responses of leaves and stems to long-term mowing were asymmetric,in which leaf traits were more stable than stem traits.Also significant allometric relationships were found among most of the plant functional traits under the four mowing treatments.Sensitive traits of L.chinensis(e.g.leaf length and stem length) were primary indicators associated with aboveground biomass decline under high mowing intensity.In conclusion,the allometric growth of different functional traits of L.chinensis varies with different long-term mowing practices,which is likely to be a strategy used by the plant to adapt to the mowing disturbances.     

Community structure and carbon and nitrogen storage of sagebrush desert under grazing exclusion in Northwest China

Overgrazing is regarded as one of the key factors of vegetation and soil degradation in the arid and semi-arid regions of Northwest China.Grazing exclusion(GE)is one of the most common pathways used to restore degraded grasslands and to improve their ecosystem services.Nevertheless,there are still significant controversies concerning GE’s effects on grassland diversity as well as carbon(C)and nitrogen(N)storage.It remains poorly understood in the arid desert regions,whilst being essential for the sustainable use of grassland resources.To assess the effects of GE on community characteristics and C and N storage of desert plant community in the arid desert regions,we investigated the community structure and plant biomass,as well as C and N storage of plants and soil(0-100 cm depth)in short-term GE(three years)plots and adjacent long-term freely grazing(FG)plots in the areas of sagebrush desert in Northwest China,which are important both for spring-autumn seasonal pasture and for ecological conservation.Our findings indicated that GE was beneficial to the average height,coverage and aboveground biomass(including stems,leaves and inflorescences,and litter)of desert plant community,to the species richness and importance values of subshrubs and perennial herbs,and to the biomass C and N storage of aboveground parts(P<0.05).However,GE was not beneficial to the importance values of annual herbs,root/shoot ratio and total N concentration in the 0-5 and 5-10 cm soil layers(P<0.05).Additionally,the plant density,belowground biomass,and soil organic C concentration and C storage in the 0-100 cm soil layer could not be significantly changed by short-term GE(three years).The results suggest that,although GE was not beneficial for C sequestration in the sagebrush desert ecosystem,it is an effective strategy for improving productivity,diversity,and C and N storage of plants.As a result,GE can be used to rehabilitate degraded grasslands in the arid desert regions of Northwest China.     

Effects of grassland management on the community structure,aboveground biomass and stability of a temperate steppe in Inner Mongolia,China

Plant community structure responds strongly to anthropogenic disturbances, which greatly influence community stability. The changes in community structure, aboveground biomass(AGB), biodiversity and community stability associated with different management practices were studied with a three-year field investigation in a temperate steppe of Inner Mongolia, China. The species richness, Shannon-Wiener index, evenness, plant functional type abundance, AGB, temporal community stability, summed covariance, scaling coefficient and dominant species stability were compared among areas subjected to long-term reservation(R), long-term grazing(G), mowing since enclosure in 2008(M) and grazing enclosure since 2008(E). Site R had higher perennial grass abundance and lower species richness than sites G, M and E, although the AGB was not significantly different among the four sites. The species structure varied from a single dominant species at site R to multiple dominant species at sites G, M and E. The long-term reservation grassland had lower biodiversity but higher stability, whereas the enclosed grassland with/without mowing had higher biodiversity but lower stability. Different stability mechanisms, such as the compensatory dynamics, mean-variance scaling and dominant species stability were examined. Results showed that community stability was most closely related to the relative stability of the dominant species, which supports the biomass ratio hypothesis proposed by Grime.     

氮添加调控陆地昆虫食物网的级联效应

20世纪人类活动加剧全球氮沉降,而氮沉降已经导致全球生态系统功能退化和生物多样性丧失。该文综述大气氮沉降通过改变土壤微生物和植被组成影响昆虫种群及群落功能,重点论述外来物种和土著物种对氮添加的响应。外源氮添加主要通过食物网上行效应对昆虫产生级联效应,短期低氮添加对土著物种种群数量产生正效应,而长期高氮添加会抑制土著种群增长,降低生物群落多样性,破坏生态系统稳定,进而导致生态系统功能变化。外来昆虫对氮添加的响应更敏感,氮添加下外来昆虫种群数量增长更快,加速了外来物种的入侵过程。     

Persistence of four dominant psammophyte species in central Inner Mongolia of China under continual drought

Clarifying the persistence time of seedlings of dominant species under continual drought will help us understand responses of ecosystems to global climate change and improve revegetation efforts.Drought tolerance of four dominant psammophytic shrub species occurring in different environments was studied in the semi-arid areas of Inner Mongolian grasslands.Seedlings of Hedysarum laeve,Caragana korshinskii,Artemisia sphaerocephala and Artemisia ordosica were grown under four air temperature regimes(night/day:12.5/22.5℃,15/25℃,17.5/27.5℃ and 20/30℃)within climate(air temperature and humidity)controlled,naturally lit glasshouses with a night/day relative humidity of 70%/50%.Pots were watered to field capacity for each temperature treatment.Soil water condition was monitored by weighting each pot every day using an electronic balance.Date of seedling death for each treatment was recorded and the dead plants were harvested.Plant dry weights were determined after oven drying at 80℃ for 3 days.Two Artemisia species had higher growth rates than H.laeve and C.korshinskii,and the growth of all four species increased with increasing temperatures.The two Artemisia species had the highest leaf biomass increment,followed by C.korshinskii,and then H.laeve.Shoot biomass increment was higher for A.ordosica and C.korshinskii,intermediate for A.sphaerocephala and lowest for H.laeve.C.korshinskii had the highest root biomass increment.The final soil water content at death for all four species varied from 1% to 2%.C.korshinskii,A.sphaerocephala,H.laeve and A.ordosica survived for 25-43,24-41,26-41,and 24-37 days without watering,respectively.C.korshinskii,A.sphaerocephala,H.Laeve,and A.ordosica seedlings survived longer at the lowest temperatures(12.5/22.5℃)than at the highest temperatures(20/30℃)by 18,17,15 and 13 days,respectively.Increased climatic temperatures induce the death of seedlings in years with long intervals between rainfall events.The adaptation of seedlings to droughts should be emphasized in revegetation efforts in the Ordos Plateau,Inner Mongolia.     

Changes in diversity,composition and assembly processes of soil microbial communities during Robinia pseudoacacia L. restoration on the Loess Plateau,China

Robinia pseudoacacia L. (RP) restoration has increased vegetation cover in semi-arid regions on the Loess Plateau of China, but ecological problems have also occurred due to RP restoration, such as reduced soil moisture. Further, it is still uncertain how microbial diversity, composition and assembly processes change with RP restoration in semi-arid regions. Therefore, amplicon sequencing of small subunit ribosomal ribonucleic acid (16S rRNA) and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) genes was performed to study soil bacterial and fungal diversity, composition and assembly processes at four study sites with different stand ages of RP plantations (Y10, RP plantation with stand ages less than 10 a; Y15, RP plantation with stand ages approximately 15 a; Y25, RP plantation with stand ages approximately 25 a; and Y40, RP plantation with stand ages approximately 40 a) along a 40-a chronosequence on the Loess Plateau. The diversity of soil bacteria and fungi increased significantly during the restoration period from 10 to 15 a (P<0.05). However, compared with Y15, bacterial diversity was lower at Y25 and Y40, and fungal diversity remained stable during the restoration period between 25 and 40 a. The relative abundances of Proteobacteria and Ascomycota increased during the restoration period from 10 to 15 a. Conversely, after 15 a of restoration, they both decreased, whereas the relative abundances of Actinomycetes, Acidobacteria and Basidiomycota gradually increased. The variations in soil bacterial communities were mainly related to changes in soil total nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen and moisture contents, while soil fungal communities were mainly shaped by soil organic carbon and nitrate nitrogen contents. Bacterial communities were structured by the heterogeneous selection and stochastic process, while fungal communities were structured primarily by the stochastic process. The RP restoration induced an increase in the relative importance of heterogeneous selection on bacterial communities. Overall, this study reveals the changes in microbial diversity, community composition and assembly processes with RP restoration on the Loess Plateau and provides a new perspective on the effects of vegetation restoration on soil microbial communities in semi-arid regions.     

Effects of freezing intensity on soil solution nitrogen and microbial biomass nitrogen in an alpine grassland ecosystem on the Tibetan Plateau,China

The change of freeze-thaw pattern of the Tibetan Plateau under climate warming is bound to have a profound impact on the soil process of alpine grassland ecosystem;however,the research on the impact of the freeze-thaw action on nitrogen processes of the alpine grassland ecosystem on the Tibetan Plateau has not yet attracted much attention.In this study,the impact of the freezing strength on the soil nitrogen components of alpine grassland on the Tibetan Plateau was studied through laboratory freeze-thaw simulation experiments.The 0–10 cm topsoil was collected from the alpine marsh meadow and alpine meadow in the permafrost region of Beilu River.In the experiment,the soil samples were cultivated at –10°C,–7°C,–5°C,–3°C and –1°C,respectively for three days and then thawed at 2°C for one day.The results showed that after the freeze-thaw process,the soil microbial biomass nitrogen significantly decreased while the dissolved organic nitrogen and inorganic nitrogen significantly increased.When the freezing temperature was below –7°C,there was no significant difference between the content of nitrogen components,which implied a change of each nitrogen component might have a response threshold toward the freezing temperature.As the freeze-thaw process can lead to the risk of nitrogen loss in the alpine grassland ecosystem,more attention should be paid to the response of the soil nitrogen cycle of alpine grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau to the freeze-thaw process.     

Effects of warming and clipping on plant and soil properties of an alpine meadow in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau,China

Climate warming and livestock grazing are known to have great influences on alpine ecosystems like those of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau(QTP) in China. However, it is lacking of studies on the effects of warming and grazing on plant and soil properties in these alpine ecosystems. In this study, we reported the related research from manipulative experiment in 2010–2012 in the QTP. The aim of this study was to investigate the individual and combined effects of warming and clipping on plant and soil properties in the alpine meadow ecosystem. Infrared radiators were used to simulate climate warming starting in July 2010, while clipping was performed once in October 2011 to simulate the local livestock grazing. The experiment was designed as a randomized block consisting of five replications and four treatments: control(CK), warming(W), clipping(C) and warming+clipping combination(WC). The plant and soil properties were investigated in the growing season of the alpine meadow in 2012. The results showed that W and WC treatments significantly decreased relative humidity at 20-cm height above ground as well as significantly increases air temperature at the same height, surface temperature, and soil temperature at the depth of 0–30 cm. However, the C treatment did not significantly decrease soil moisture and soil temperature at the depth of 0–60 cm. Relative to CK, vegetation height and species number increased significantly in W and WC treatment, respectively, while vegetation aboveground biomass decreased significantly in C treatment in the early growing season. However, vegetation cover, species diversity, belowground biomass and soil properties at the depth of 0–30 cm did not differ significantly in W, C and WC treatments. Soil moisture increased at the depth of 40–100 cm in W and WC treatments, while belowground biomass, soil activated carbon, organic carbon and total nitrogen increased in the 30–50 cm soil layer in W, C and WC treatments. Although the initial responses of plant and soil properties to experimental warming and clipping were slow and weak, the drought induced by the downward shift of soil moisture in the upper soil layers may induce plant belowground biomass to transfer to the deeper soil layers. This movement would modify the distributions of soil activated carbon, organic carbon and total nitrogen. However, long-term data collection is needed to further explain this interesting phenomenon.     

Assessing ecological vulnerability in western China based on Time-Integrated NDVI data

Arid and semi-arid areas are the most vulnerable regions to climate change.Clear understanding of the effects of climate change on ecosystems in arid and semi-arid regions and the ecosystem vulnerability is important for ecosystem management under the background of climate change.In this study,we conducted a vulnerability assessment on various ecosystems from 1982 to 2013 in western China with large areas of arid and semi-arid lands based on the Time-Integrated Normalized Difference Vegetation Index(TINDVI)data and climate data.The results indicated that grasslands were the most vulnerable ecosystem to climate change in western China,especially for those in Tibetan Plateau.Croplands in oases were not vulnerable to climate change compared to rain-fed croplands in semi-arid regions(e.g.Gansu and Inner Mongolia),which was attributed to the well-developed drip irrigation technology in oases.Desert and Gobi ecosystems were slightly vulnerable to climate change during the past several decades.The assessment results,as revealed in this study,can provide a reference for taking appropriate actions to protect the ecosystems in western China.     

围栏封育对农牧交错区沙化草地植物群落影响——以宁夏盐池为例

封育措施是一种主要的草场恢复和重建的措施。通过对半干旱沙地老封育、新封育和对照区的比较分析,量化了不同封育措施下植被变化。对三种封育措施群落组成和生物多样性的分析结果表明:封育改变了群落的组成成分并增加了生物多样性;同时对群落植物的生活型、饲用价值分析及样方相似性指数计算结果则显示,老封育(>10a)的群落植物逐渐向多年生发展,各植物种分布的空间异质性显著提高,放牧价值开始降低,而对照区则明显处于一种非平衡的稳定状态。从3种措施植被的盖度、高度、生物量和饲用价值来看,老封育区均低于新封育区和对照区,表明长期封育不利于促进并提高草场的放牧利用价值。     

贺兰山西坡不同类型草地土壤酶活性特征

以阿拉善左旗境内贺兰山中段（西坡）山前地带的主要草地类型为对象,分析不同类型草地土壤酶活性的分布特征,及其与气候、植被和土壤等环境因子的关系。结果表明：① 随着海拔高度的降低,土壤脲酶、蔗糖酶、碱性磷酸酶和过氧化氢酶活性表现为：高山草甸＞山地草原＞山地荒漠草原＞草原化荒漠,且在0～10 cm土层的差异尤其显著;② 各类草地土壤酶活性均沿土壤垂直剖面依次降低,差异呈显著性水平;③ 偏相关及逐步回归分析表明,影响该区草地土壤脲酶和蔗糖酶活性最主要的因素为土壤微生物碳氮、有机碳和全氮,碱性磷酸酶主要受土壤微生物碳和全氮影响,对过氧化氢酶影响最大的因子为土壤微生物碳、pH、全氮和降水量。     

Aggregate binding agents improve soil aggregate stability in Robinia pseudoacacia forests along a climatic gradient on the Loess Plateau,China

The distribution of binding agents(i.e.,soil organic carbon(SOC)and glomalin-related soil protein(GRSP))in soil aggregates was influenced by many factors,such as plant characteristics and soil properties.However,how these factors affect binding agents and soil aggregate stability along a climatic gradient remained unclear.We selected the Robinia pseudoacacia L.forests from semi-arid to semi-humid of the Loess Plateau,China to analyze the plant biomass,soil physical-chemical properties,SOC and GRSP distribution in different sized soil aggregates.We found that from semi-arid to semi-humid forests:(1)the proportion of macro-aggregates(>0.250 mm)significantly increased(P<0.05),whereas those of micro-aggregates(0.250–0.053 mm)and fine materials(<0.053 mm)decreased and soil aggregate stability was increased;(2)the contents of SOC and GRSP in macro-aggregates and micro-aggregates significantly increased,and those in fine materials decreased;(3)the contribution of SOC to soil aggregate stability was greater than those of total GRSP and easily extractable GRSP;(4)soil properties had greater influence on binding agents than plant biomass;and(5)soil aggregate stability was enhanced by increasing the contents of SOC and GRSP in macro-aggregates and soil property was the important part during this process.Climate change from semi-arid to semi-humid forests is important factor for soil structure formation because of its positive effect on soil aggregates.     

Changes in soil microbial community response to precipitation events in a semi-arid steppe of the Xilin River Basin,China

In the context of climate change, precipitation is predicted to become more intense at the global scale. Such change may alter soil microbial communities and the microbially mediated carbon and nitrogen dynamics. In this study, we experimentally repackaged precipitation patterns during the growing season(from June to September) of 2012 in a semi-arid temperate steppe of the Xilin River Basin in Inner Mongolia of China, based on the 60-year growing season precipitation data. Specifically, a total amount of 240 mm simulated precipitation was assigned to experimental plots by taking the following treatments:(1) P6(6 extreme precipitation events, near the 1~(st) percentile);(2) P10(10 extreme precipitation events, near the 5~(th) percentile);(3) P16(16 moderate precipitation events, near the 50~(th) percentile); and(4) P24(24 events, 60-year average precipitation, near the 50~(th) percentile). At the end of the growing season, we analyzed soil microbial community structure and biomass, bacterial abundance, fungal abundance and bacterial composition, by using phospholipid fatty acid(PLFA), real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR) and 16S rRNA gene clone library methods. The extreme precipitation events did not change soil microbial community structure(represented by the ratio of PLFA concentration in fungi to PLFA concentration in bacteria, and the ratio of PLFA concentration in gram-positive bacterial biomass to PLFA concentration in gram-negative bacterial biomass). However, the extreme precipitation events significantly increased soil microbial activity(represented by soil microbial biomass nitrogen and soil bacterial 16S rRNA gene copy numbers). Soil fungal community showed no significant response to precipitation events. According to the redundancy analysis, both soil microbial biomass nitrogen and soil ammonium nitrogen(NH_4-N) were found to be significant in shaping soil microbial community. Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria were the dominant phyla in soil bacterial composition, and responded differently to the extreme precipitation events. Based on the results, we concluded that the extreme precipitation events altered the overall soil microbial activity, but did not impact how the processes would occur, since soil microbial community structure remained unchanged.     

Impact of enclosure management on soil properties and microbial biomass in a restored semi-arid rangeland,Kenya

Rangeland degradation is a serious problem throughout sub-Saharan Africa and its restoration is a challenge for the management of arid and semi-arid areas. In Lake Baringo Basin of Kenya, communities and individual farmers are restoring indigenous vegetation inside enclosures in an effort to combat severe land degradation and address their livelihood problems. This study evaluated the impact of enclosure management on soil properties and microbial biomass, being key indicators of soil ecosystem health. Six reseeded communal enclosures using soil embankments as water-harvesting structures and strictly regulated access were selected, varying in age from 13 to 23 years. In six private enclosures, ranging from 3 to 17 years in age, individual farmers emulated the communal enclosure strategy and restored areas for their exclusive use. Significant decreases in bulk density, and increases in the soil organic carbon, total nitrogen and microbial biomass contents and stocks were found in the enclosures as compared with the degraded open rangeland. In the private enclosures, the impact of rehabilitation on the soil quality was variable, and soil quality was in general lower than that obtained under communal management. The significant increase of absolute stocks of carbon, nitrogen and microbial biomass compared to the degraded open rangeland indicates the potential for the restoration of soil quality through range rehabilitation. Over-sowing with indigenous legume fodder species could improve total nitrogen content in the soil and nutritional value of the pastures as well.     

Impact of rainfed and irrigated agriculture systems on soil carbon stock under different climate scenarios in the semi-arid region of Brazil

Understanding the dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) is of fundamental importance in land use and management, whether in the current researches or in future scenarios of agriculture systems considering climate change. In order to evaluate SOC stock of the three districts (Delmiro Gouveia, Pariconha, and Inhapi districts) in the semi-arid region of Brazil in rainfed and irrigated agriculture systems under different climate scenarios using the Century model, we obtained RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 climate scenarios derived from the Eta Regional Climate Model (Eta-HadGEM2-ES and Eta-MIROC5) from the National Institute for Space Research, and then input the data of bulk density, pH, soil texture, maximum temperature, minimum temperature, and rainfall into the soil and climate files of the Century model. The results of this study showed that the Eta-HadGEM2-ES model was effective in estimating air temperature in the future period. In rainfed agriculture system, SOC stock under the baseline scenario was lower than that under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 climate scenarios, while in irrigated agriculture system, SOC stock in the almost all climate scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) and models (Eta-HadGEM2-ES and Eta-MIROC5) will increase by 2100. The results of this study will help producers in the semi-arid region of Brazil adopt specific agriculture systems aimed at mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.     

The more we do,the less we gain? Balancing effort and efficacy in managing the Solidago gigantea invasion

Developing invasive plant management strategies is an important task in modern ecology, conservation biology and land management. Solidago gigantea is considered a problematic invader in Europe and Asia, where it forms dominant stands that can decrease species diversity. There is, therefore, an urgent need for effective management to reduce S. gigantea infestations and their negative impacts. We examined the efficacy of multiple approaches to S. gigantea management in Hungary. In our study, we evaluated the effect of several long-term management techniques such as grazing, mowing and periodic flooding on the invader's density as well as native community diversity. In addition, we investigated the short- and long-term effects of mowing combined with other treatment options, to estimate the influence of increased management intensity. Our results indicate that all tested management techniques had negative impacts on S. gigantea density. Short-term mowing did not appear to improve species diversity in the resident community; however, all long-term options improved species diversity. Moreover, combining treatments with mowing varied in its effectiveness; mowing once increased the efficacy of flooding, but decreased the efficacy of grazing, while mowing twice decreased efficacy of flooding. We suspect this is due to the increased intensity of disturbance, which does not allow for the natural recovery of communities, and after management ceases, invasion is able to re-occur. Our results indicate that for effective management, we need to combine management options which act via different mechanisms, leading to cumulative positive effects on the resident community when applied at moderate levels.     

Effects of irrigation on precipitation in the arid regions of Xinjiang,China

Soil moisture is an important parameter for the interaction between soil and atmosphere.It is the second important factor that influences climate change,next to sea surface temperature(SST).Most previous studies focused on the monsoon regions in East China,and only a few laid emphases on arid environments.In Xinjiang, which is located in Northwest China,the climate is typically arid and semi-arid.During the past 20 years,the precipitation in Xinjiang has shown a significant increasing trend,and it is closely related to oasis irrigation.This paper aims at discussing whether abnormal soil moisture in spring can be the signal to forecast summer precipitation.The effects of abnormal soil moisture due to farm irrigation in spring in arid environments on regional climate are investigated by using a regional climate model(RegCM3).The results indicate that positive soil moisture anomaly in irrigated cropland surface in May led to an increase in precipitation in spring as well as across the whole summer. The impact could last for about four months.The effects of soil moisture on the surface air temperature showed a time-lagging trend.The summer air temperature declined by a maximum amplitude of 0.8oC.The increased soil moisture could enhance evaporation and ascending motion in the low troposphere,which brought in more precipitation.The soil moisture affected regional weather and climate mainly by altering the surface sensible and latent heat fluxes.     

Impacts of grazing and mowing on reproductive behaviors of Stipa grandis and Stipa krylovii in a semi-arid area

Disturbance can affect biomass allocation of plants,but can it influence plant reproductive behavior?To address this issue,we performed field plant community investigations and explored the reproductive behaviors of Stipa grandis and Stipa krylovii in response to grazing and mowing treatments at Maodeng pasture of Xilinguole League of Inner Mongolia,China during 2007–2009.The results showed that,with a similar niche width for the two plant species under mowing and grazing treatments,mowing significantly increased the ratio of ramet to genet number of S.krylovii and the carbon to nitrogen ratio of S.grandis,and grazing significantly decreased the ratio of vegetative to reproductive tiller biomass of S.grandis and increased the ratio of vegetative to reproductive tiller number of S.krylovii.Regression analysis showed that the significantly positive effect of root to shoot biomass ratio was stronger on the ratio of vegetative to reproductive tiller number of S.grandis than on that of S.krylovii.These results indicated that grazing and mowing influenced the reproductive manner and the process of sexual reproduction of S.grandis and S.krylovii.